Unrequited
by Bellantara
Summary: Why did Sven sacrifice himself for Lance? K/L; mention of one-sided Lance/Sven.


Keith turned in his sleep, reaching for Lance . . . and coming fully awake when his hands encountered only cold sheets. Brushing aside his exhaustion, he sat up and turned the lights on. The bathroom stood empty; tellingly, Lance's jacket was still on the chair he'd tossed it on when they stumbled in after getting Sven on the transport to Ebb. With a heavy sigh, he got out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face before heading out to find his partner.

Thirty minutes of searching later, Lance had failed to appear in the rec room, Control, Red's den, the balcony the team had staked as theirs, or the kitchen. Keith was getting worried; the only things keeping him from rousting Hunk and Pidge out were that SOMEBODY needed to be fresh in the morning, and that Lance's jacket and shoes were in their bedroom. Keith ran a ragged hand through his hair, then froze as he realized there was one place he HADN'T checked. Swallowing against a sudden lump in his throat, he ran for the end of the Force's corridor. For Sven's room.

The navigator's room was almost unnaturally neat, a testament to the quiet Norwegian's precise and analytical mind. Bed made to tight Academy standards, datapads and reports martialed into orderly stacks on the desk, all as if Sven was merely out on duty and would return at any moment. Keith closed his eyes against sudden tears as his last sight of Sven popped into his mind, bloodied and broken, fighting for every breath. The medics were doubtful that he'd even survive the trip to Ebb, but the Force and Princess Allura had insisted the attempt be made. A slim chance was better than no chance at all, which was what Sven had on Arus.

A noise pulled him out of his grim thoughts and drew his attention to the far side of the bed. There sat Lance in his pajamas, head bowed and eyes closed. "It should've been me. Why wasn't it me? Fuck that stupid bastard; he's worth ten of me! Why'd he do it? Why?" Green eyes flashed to Keith's face, lost in grief and pain, swimming in unshed tears.

Keith dropped into a cross-legged posture that mirrored Lance's, their knees touching, and took his lover's hands from what he realized was Sven's sword. "It was his choice, _Koibito._ Please don't blame yourself. He knew what he was doing." Lance just shook his head, tears falling on their joined hands. "He left you something." Keith reached into his pocket and took out a folded paper, pressing it into Lance's unresisting fingers.

Lance unfolded the note automatically, not really seeing it until his eyes fell on a smear of blood . . . and Sven's name shakily written at the bottom. "S-Sven wrote this?" He whispered.

Keith nodded. "Dictated it to me, while you were escorting the medics in," he answered softly. "Read it, Lance. Please."

 _Lance, my maddening, impetuous, headstrong. . . beloved brother,_ Lance had to stop for several minutes before he could make his voice work again. _Keith is kind enough to write this down; if he's given it to you, you're blaming yourself for what happened in the square. Please,_ min bror. _The blame, the choice, was all mine to bear. And gladly did I take it. Without hesitation I would do it again. Because . . . because of a confession I must make. You are more than brother to me, have been for a long time. But. . . your heart was Keith's, from the first, and he needed you. So I was content to be brother to you both, and to guard your lives and backs with my own. The team will manage without me; but you are its heart and fire. More importantly, you are Keith's rock. So I took your place fighting Haggar, knowing full well I would fall. Take care of yourself, my Lance. Take care of HIM, of the team. I love you now and always, no matter what happens or where I am._

Lance looked to Keith, cradling the note as though it were a sacred relic. "Did. . . did you know?"

Keith shook his head, caressing Lance's free hand in both of his. "I suspected; I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one else can see. But no; I wasn't sure until he said so." Onyx eyes met emerald. "He loved you enough to give his life for you, Lance. Don't waste that. He doesn't blame you; don't blame yourself."

His partner sighed, wiping his eyes on his pajama sleeve. "I'll try. That's all I can promise, _dorogoi."_ Slowly he stood, pulling Keith up with him.

"Come on, let's go to bed, _koibito,"_ Keith drew Lance into his arms for a moment, giving and taking comfort as they both mourned. "Tomorrow is a new day, and we have much to do."

Lance nodded against his shoulder as they walked out together. "Time to win this damned war. So Sven can come home and recover in peace. With his family."


End file.
